STS-36

STS-36
Launch of Atlantis; in-flight photography on this Department of Defense (DoD) mission is limited.
NamesSpace Transportation System-36
STS-36
Mission typeDoD satellite deployment
OperatorNASA
COSPAR ID1990-019A Edit this at Wikidata
SATCAT no.20512Edit this on Wikidata
Mission duration4 days, 10 hours, 18 minutes, 22 seconds
Distance travelled2,957,913 km (1,837,962 mi)
Orbits completed72
Spacecraft properties
SpacecraftSpace Shuttle Atlantis
Launch mass2,044,469 kg (4,507,283 lb)
Landing mass84,912 kg (187,199 lb)
Payload mass19,600 kg (43,200 lb)
Crew
Crew size5
Members
Start of mission
Launch dateFebruary 28, 1990, 07:50:22 (February 28, 1990, 07:50:22) UTC (2:50:22 am EST)
Launch siteKennedy, LC-39A
ContractorRockwell International
End of mission
Landing dateMarch 4, 1990, 18:08:44 (March 4, 1990, 18:08:44) UTC (10:08:44 am PST)
Landing siteEdwards, Runway 23
Orbital parameters
Reference systemGeocentric orbit
RegimeLow Earth orbit
Perigee altitude198 km (123 mi)
Apogee altitude204 km (127 mi)
Inclination62°
Period88.5 minutes
Instruments
In-flight Radiation Dose Distribution (IDRD)

STS-36 mission patch

From left: Thuot, Casper, Creighton, Mullane and Hilmers
← STS-32 (33)
STS-31 (35) →

STS-36 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission, during which Space Shuttle Atlantis carried a classified payload for the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) (believed to have been a Misty reconnaissance satellite) into orbit. STS-36 was the 34th shuttle mission overall, the sixth flight for Atlantis, and the fourth night launch of the shuttle program. It launched from Kennedy Space Center, Florida, on February 28, 1990, and landed on March 4, 1990.